Can you start all over and look into Don Young? They make a quality aluminum product that works very well in your climate and from my understanding is fairly priced. All the others in my mind would be complete non-starters.

@millworkman, can you elaborate more on the non-starters? Kicking Jeldwen, Sierra Pacific, or Amsco out of bounds off the get-go seems a bit extreme, but I'd want to get more details here on why you wouldnt bid out to any of these suppliers?

As more manufacturers get hammered with orders and dont have the supply chains available, a lot are reducing their distribution coverage, so I too would want to keep options open than just going with a single bidder.

Amsco is okay, but the thinner frame pushes you towards aluminum. The other two are regarded as good brands in the end.

"The other two are regarded as good brands in the end."

Windows on Washington Ltd Huh?

We went with MGM

https://mgmindustries.com/dealer-locator.php

Don Young does not offer SDL’s, so they are out unless the OP wants to with GBG. Amsco is not a window that I would recommend at all. Ram, while expensive, is going to be your best option for long-term durability and the profile that you are looking for.

@Ultra Windows Ah - thanks for pointing that out about Don Young only having GBG. That rules those out for us.

@millworkman I’d also be interested to understand more about why you say any of the brands originally listed are non-starters. Is it the products specifically or the service/support or something else? I don’t think we’re going to find a wide selection of other brands that fit what we’re looking for within our budget, timeframe and region so would love to know what concerns we should be aware of.

We’ll take a look at the RAM aluminum since it’s sounding like that will be closer to the look we’re going for, but in the event that those are over-budget (thanks, lumber!), would still love to know if folks have concerns still about painted vinyl fading or any other product lines we should consider?

When vinyl window frames are as narrow as aluminum frames, they are flimsy and prone to bowing and warping in the south Texas heat. Unfortunately, there are a couple of manufacturers who are offering their cheap vinyl windows in the Houston market and taking advantage of unsuspecting homeowners who like the look, and don’t stop to consider the compromise in longevity that they are making.

Are you wanting a two-tone window, or do you want dark frames - inside and out?

Jeldwen and S/P are notorious for poor fit and finish, poor quality control and lousy customer service/ Visions by W/S is just as bad. Not familiar with Ram but after looking and listening a bit it sounds like a solid choice.

@Ultra Windows - that's great to know about the RAM window styles, thanks. Obviously, we can make casements work instead of single-hungs, but I assume that also contributes to RAM's higher prices.

@millworkman - Curious if you can share more context/experience around your comments? It seems like for every person I find who hates a particular line, I can find someone else who loves/recommends it. I'm not sure if windows are just that subjective or if most people only have limited experience/knowledge of a few brands because availability is so regional, meaning recommendations are all relative. Are you against Jeldwen, SP and Visions having sold/installed those windows or based on feedback you hear from homeowners or...? (Forgive me for not knowing your background since I'm pretty sure you've commented on every window post I've read on houzz.) :)

Forgot to add - @Ultra Windows, we've been assuming we'd end up with two-tone (gray exterior / white interior) since the ones we've looked at so far don't offer gray/gray. (We're both fine with gray/white, but I would've considered dark interior if it's available/similarly priced in whatever windows we end up with.)

"Are you against Jeldwen, SP and Visions having sold/installed those windows"

Sold those manufacturers and their other lines in the past as well as other models of theirs. You will not find any of the pros on this site who has much good to say about any of those lines or manufacturers.

White/gray rules out most thermally-broken aluminum manufactures (if not all of them). You can get custom colors from Western, but I don’t know if Ram offers it or not.

Curious... which windows did you decide to go with? Building a home in the Dallas area and researching windows myself.

Thank you again to all for the help!

@julie S - we ended up ordering Sierra Pacific in the Battleship Gray. (They aren't here yet so can't actually speak to them!) RAM probably would have been a good choice as well, but they were out of our price range. In our price range, Sierra Pacific ended up being the only one with a color and SDLs we liked. (Visions by Weathershield may have been able to do it as a custom color but we couldn't find anyone else using them here or enough data to seriously consider Visions.)

@ashleyhtx I am currently going through the window saga, replacement windows to update our Austin Stone in Dallas. I really like the Sierra Pacific Battleship Gray as well. Can you share any photos maybe since installation? I have the same questions you outlined and just going back and forth amongst brands...

Here they are. We’re really happy. We did a white interior on them. Just make sure you’ve got enough lead time on delivery. Originally 13 weeks, ended up slipping to 15, but in this supply-chain nightmare I’d say that was a “win”.

Bryan Arciero, what brand and series did you end up going with?

Sierra Pacific, Painted Vinyl in Battleship Grey exterior, white interior.